


Promise Not To Fall

by Telas_Selar



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Asher and Wes are gay, Canon Divergence, Depressed Asher, Graphic Suicide Attempt, M/M, Suicidal Asher, Wes is a concerned boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 13:22:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telas_Selar/pseuds/Telas_Selar
Summary: After the apparent suicide of his father, Asher falls further than he's ever fallen before. It's up to Wes to save him. Or at least, that's how he feels.





	Promise Not To Fall

It started with a numbness. 

A rapid numbness that took over every inch of Asher's body, setting his senses on fire. 

_ Your father is dead.  _

At first, the words had seemed…strange. Distant. But before he knew it, his mind had taken over. Shock did that. 

He'd found himself making an excuse, getting into his car and practically annihilating the speed limit. 

Wes had called, then Laurel. Then Michaela. Even Connor. 

He'd turned his phone off, smashed the glass against the charging port, watched it clatter to the floor beneath his feet. 

Even as his shaking hands stopped the engine, slammed the car door shut, he felt the words echo in his mind. Over…and over. And over. 

Asher had walked into his apartment and locked the door before pulling open the bottom drawer of his bedside cabinet. 

His vision was blurring, and he was conscious of his increasing heartbeat. The beads of sweat forming rapidly. The tremor in his hands. 

He didn't care. 

"I failed you, dad" he said calmly to the sleek black gun lying amidst the untidy pile of books scattered in the drawer. 

Asher gripped his head in his hands, swallowing hard against the manic throbbing of his pulse in his throat. He let out a strangled sound somewhere between a whimper and a jagged exhale before reaching blindly for the weapon, fingers curling around the trigger. 

"Even when you…tried to save me.. I fucked up. Oh god, I fucked up so bad. But I'm…going to make it right."

His voice broke as he inclined his head, parting his lips for the cold metal. 

 

"He's not picking up" Laurel muttered, redialing anxiously. 

"Then try him again" Connor snapped irritably, flinging himself back against his seat. 

"That's what I'm  _ doing!"  _

"Then keep doing it!" 

Laurel bit back another sharp retort and continued her efforts, despite knowing that this wasn't working and probably wasn't about to anytime soon. 

"There's no point" Wes cut in, grabbing his bike and wheeling it to the door. 

"What, you think you can outrun a car, waitlist?" Connor demanded moodily but Wes ignored him in favour of looking to Michaela. 

"You're the lightest. Get behind me. Laurel, Connor, keep trying."

Michaela brushed her hair behind her ears and followed Wes to the door, climbing onto the bike behind him. 

He swallowed hard and leaned over the handlebars. 

"Sit tight" he muttered. 

Michaela wrapped her arms around his waist as he accelerated, wind rushing in his ears. 

_ Come on, Asher _ Wes urged him mentally, more afraid than he'd care to admit. Even with the comfort of Michaela's presence, Wes' fear didn't diminish. 

On the contrary, it only increased. 

As they pulled into Asher's driveway, Wes knew that it was too late. 

The sound of the gunshot pierced the night too loud to be anything other than what it was. 

"NO! ASHER! WES!" Michaela rushed after Wes' hurrying figure as he hurled himself at the door, smashing the lock in from sheer force of will. 

"No no no no no.." Wes dived for the gun one second too late as Asher collapsed against him. 

"You do  _ not _ get to leave me. Not like this."

Michaela doubled over in the doorway, eyes wide in shock as she took in the sight of Wes holding up a barely conscious Asher in a pool of blood. 

"Asher" she choked out. 

"Call 911" Wes urged her in a more controlled manner than he felt. "Do it now!" 

"Is he-?" 

"MICHAELA, DO IT, NOW! EVERY SECOND YOU HESITATE, HE SLIPS AWAY FASTER!" 

"Okay.. Okay.. Um.." She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm as he she dialled 911, watching Wes struggle to keep Asher stable with nothing but his bare hands and a heart that would only continue to betray him. 

 

**2 HOURS LATER**

 

"How is he?" Laurel asked, arms folded against her chest. Connor lurked in the background, keeping his head down as he moodily flicked random magazines in the waiting room. This earned plenty of curious stares, all of which he ignored. 

"Alive" Michaela responded. "They um…wouldn't let anyone on, but Wes argued his head off til they shut up and let him ride in the ambulance." 

"Yeah well, he flashes those puppy eyes of his and anyone would let him do anything" Connor put in darkly. 

"Connor-" Laurel glared at him. 

"What?" He retaliated. "Doucheface tries to kill himself like a coward and now waitlist is acting like a lovesick puppy?" 

"Now is not the time" Laurel snapped at him. 

"Then when's the time?!" 

"Argh, you two are impossible" Michaela muttered, walking away as Laurel and Connor continued to argue. 

She glanced through the glass at Asher's still form still unconscious in the hospital bed, right before her gaze rested on Wes, sitting by his bedside, head in his hands. 

Once again, Michaela found herself wondering how she hadn't read the signs sooner. Maybe Connor was being a bitch, but she should have noticed, at least. 

Wes loved Asher, as crazy as it sounded, and she wasn't going to judge. 

At least they were both alive. 

For now. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
